This application is the US national phase of PCT application filed with a claim to the priority of German patent application 19963476.9 itself filed Dec. 28, 1999.
The invention relates to a hand-lever control for motor and sport boats with a hand lever having a handle and guided in at least one function plane for controlling the engine.
Such manual-control systems are known. They serve for setting the throttle of an engine. In boat drives where between the motor and the fixed-pitch propeller there is a clutch and/or transmission for forward and reverse, the pilot has a further hand lever by means of which the clutch and/or transmission is operated. If the boat has a variable-pitch propeller another hand lever is provided to control the pitch of the propeller. This hand lever must also be provided in boats with dual-engine drives so that if necessary the two engines, the clutches, transmissions, and variable-pitch props can also each be controlled by respective hand levers. If the boat has a bow and/or stern rudder, further control systems comprising for example hand levers, switches, or the like are necessary. All these control elements must be operated at the same time or in close succession by the pilot, in particularly when steering in restricted water.
It is an object of the invention to ease steering for the pilot.
This object is attained in that the hand lever or its handle are pivotal about the axis of the hand lever in two directions against a spring force and that at least one sensor detecting this rotation is provided whose output controls a steering system. The sensor can be, for example, a potentiometer or switch. The hand lever or its handle can take care of a further control function that is initiated by pivoting in one or another direction. At least one additional hand lever can be eliminated. This not only saves space at the steering pulpit, but it improves the maneuver ability and safety of the boat.
Preferred control functions initiated by rotation of the hand lever or its handle are described in the following.
Thus the output signal can operate a bow and/or stern rudder. This is in particular for motor and sport boats with an engine connected via a clutch and transmission to a fixed-pitch propeller.
In motor and sport boats with dual engines and the respective clutches, transmissions, and fixed-pitch propellers, the output signal produced by rotating the hand lever or the handle can open one of the clutches so that one of the fixed-pitch propellers is left idling while the other fixed-pitch propeller produces thrust and thereby initiates a change in course. In addition to this, the output signal can, when it exceeds a predetermined threshold value, reverse the transmission connected with the opened clutch and then reengage this clutch so that the one fixed-pitch propeller exerts forward thrust and the other fixed-pitch propeller exerts reverse thrust.
In motor and sport boats with two engines and respective variable-pitch propellers coupled to them, the output signal dependent on rotation direction of the hand lever or the handle increases the pitch of the one and decreases the pitch of the other variable-pitch propeller so that in this case also the one variable-pitch propeller produces forward thrust and the other variable-pitch propeller produces reverse thrust. Preferably this is done while changing the pitches of the two variable-pitch propellers to the same extent.
In order to avoid unintended course changes from unintentional pivoting of the hand lever or the handle, the hand lever or its handle are movable axially in a slot guide. In particular the hand lever has an axial bore slidably receiving a rod carrying the handle, the rod being braced in the axial bore on a spring and the axial bore having at least one guide for a radial projection of the rod. The guide can have an axially extending section and an angular section extending from it. Near the ends of the angular sections there are respective sensors contacting with the radial projection of the rod.